corporate corner US SEEKS STAbILITY IN S. ASIA, vIEWS

ISLAMABAD Staff report

INa press briefing on Monday, a spokesperson of the US State Department emphasized the United States’ stance on regional stability in South Asia and reiterated that the dialogue between Pakistan and India is a matter for the two countries to resolve.

Ned Price’s statement comes in response to recent calls from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for serious and sincere talks with his Indian counterpart, Narendra

Modi, to address issues such as the conflict in occupied Kashmir.

“My message to the Indian leadership and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is let’s sit down at the table and have serious and sincere talks to resolve our burning issues, like Kashmir,” Sharif said in an interview with Al Arabiya news channel, telecast by staterun Pakistan Television last week.

However, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) later clarified that talks with India can only take place after India reverses its actions in the Muslim-majority state of Indian-occupied Kashmir.